Little Wonders
by Kaslyna
Summary: A slightly AU, slightly canon, Season 3 story, set right after 3XK. What happens when crossing the line leads to more than they can possibly handle? Will they survive? Caskett, Josh/Kate and Rick/Gina. :/ But they be gone soon, no worries! :P
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: After a little over a week I'm done with Castle, and I'm a little nervous because this is my first Castle story! It's M for a reason I'm not getting to quite yet x3. Well, sort of am. :P The title is a song, and it really doesn't have to fit... it's just pretty. :P Anyways, Season 3 AU after Almost Famous; the rest of the episodes that follow may or may not be included. I dunno yet. :/ As it seems to me like Kate's still looking for an apartment, I'm gonna say she lives with Josh. Please don't kill me, okay? She moved out of Castle's place late April, in Lanie's, and she met Josh in July. So... please, don't kill me! D: She's looking to move out. Spoilers for basically the whole damn series. :/ Begins right after 3x06. I made up Kate's middle name and also their birthdays; Castle's is March 6, 1971 and Kate's is August 10, 1978. **

**Disclaimer: Forgot who makes Castle and too lazy to look it up. XD It belongs to ABC, though, and someone else. :/ Please don't sue! Anything you recognize isn't mine. D:**

When Kate arrives back at Josh's apartment, she finds leftover Thai takeout and a note hastily written explaining that the ER's swamped because of some accident and they needed doctors. She sighs and eats the Thai and drinks a glass of wine.

It is later, as she sits on the couch absently rereading Heat Wave, that she gets his text.

_Can't sleep. Meet me at Remy's? _It reads. Smiling softly she responds, _Sure, meet you there in about ten minutes. Josh's on call, won't be back for a while._

As she's dressing in a pair of jeans and a black button down blouse, she gets his reply: _Is it hard for you? Having him work so much?_

Frowning, she sighs and texts back, _First off, we both work a lot, that's why we're good together. Second, it's really none of your business. How's Gina?_

The reply comes as she's grabbing her purse and keys and debating whether or not to leave a note for Josh, and it reads: _Out of town. Promoting some book or another._

She enters Remy's about eleven minutes after the first text, sliding into the booth across from him. It scares her that he knows her so well as to order her a coffee.

"I keep seeing him," he murmurs as she swirls around her coffee, looking into it as if searching for some divine answer.

"I know you do," she says softly, "I won't say it'll stop. But it'll get better."

"How?" he asks, cerulean eyes meeting her hazel ones. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Honestly? I don't really know. It just does. One day you just wake up and want to move on. One day it doesn't hurt so much anymore," she responds, staring into a far-off place.

"Kate," he murmurs softly, and she sighs again, a more wistful sound. She smiles tiredly, reassuringly nonetheless.

"I'm fine, Castle," she replies in a quiet, resigned voice, "I'm okay."

"I know you are, Kate," he murmurs softly, placing his hand gently over hers atop the table.

Damn him, she thinks to herself, furrowing her brow in thought, Damn him for knowing me so well.

"Well," he says, pulling away after they'd paid up later, "Well, I don't feel like going home, do you?"

"No," she shakes her head, honest, "Where should we go?"

He shrugs, "I don't know, really. Wanna just drive and end up where we end up?"

She smirks and replies in her usual teasing manner, "As long as it isn't a motel, bed and breakfast, hotel, or anything like that..."

"Damn. And here I thought my plan was foolproof," he chuckled, "Nah, seriously. We can just drive. Sometimes when Alexis was little... right after the divorce, I'd just drive and drive for hours with no particular destination in mind."

She softened, nodded, sighed, and agreed wearily, "Alright. No tricks?"

Smiling softly he nodded in response, offering his arm to her, "No tricks. Scout's honor."

"Haha," she rolls her eyes and punches him lightly in the side; he winces theatrically.

"Can I drive?" he asks.

"I don't have my car."

"Yes!" he fist-pumps into the air and she glares at him.

"I'll arrest you for speeding or reckless driving if you do anything funny."

"Yes, ma'am," he grins; she rolls her eyes and they laugh as they walk to his car.

"I call the radio," she smirks and he sighs.

"Fine. No country."

"Why not?" she pouts.

"Because Alexis is obsessed with country music right now and if I hear Whiskey Lullaby one more time _I'll _shoot myself!"

"With what?" she exclaims, mock-incredulous, "My gun?"

Smirking softly he nods and replies, "Probably."

They laugh and he starts the car. She turns the radio to some bluesy rock station that crackles as they drive. They talk together and for once, they're not Castle and Beckett; they're Rick and Kate, hell, they're Richard and Katherine, and they could be anyone in the world at all.

To anyone who peeks into that silver sluice of a car, they were just a couple in their thirties, madly in love with another.

* * *

They make it to a small, secluded section of beach on Long Island. They park the car and she turns to him, and she looks tired and maybe there are tears in her eyes, even.

"I almost lost you," she states softly, "I don't want to lose you."

"What did... what did you feel?" he asks, shuddering.

"I... it was my mother all over again. Only this time it was worse, because it was you. And if you were dead... or worse... I knew I'd shoot myself," she's crying now, "I can't lose you."

"You won't lose me, Kate," he murmurs his promise, voice muffled by her hair; he's somehow holding her to him. She clenches onto his shirt and cries. Finally she takes a shaky breath and pulls away. Smiling softly, sadly, wistfully, even, she exits the car and walks to the sea, somehow losing her shoes along the way. Her jeans are rolled up to her knees and her hair's been pulled up in a sloppy bun. Kate's hands are shoved deep into her pockets, her brow is furrowed in thought, she's squinting, and at the same time, she stands there, incredibly beautiful, staring at the enchanting sea.

His arms are around her again and she's turned towards him. They're staring into the other one's eyes and suddenly, it doesn't matter, it's all insignificant. Her eyes flutter closed the same moment his do; their lips meet halfway. Her arms twine around his neck and his hands reach for her shirt and she stops him.

"Not here," is all she says.

He nods and leads them to the car. They drive to a little hotel they had passed and check in. The room's relatively neat, certainly not cheap, though definitely not upscale in the least. Within mere seconds of entering the room, he has her pinned to the door, now locked. She moans into his mouth and impatiently tears off his shirt; thankfully he has an undershirt and a jacket he'd hastily left in the car. She's more careful with his undershirt; deciding she's highly over dressed, her shirt comes off, slowly, gently, languidly, annoying the hell out of her, of course. But still, she's glad he's being considerate. Very much so.

They somehow manage to stumble further into the room and fall onto the bed; she's clad in her bra and panties and he's in his jeans now. Her bra's the next to go, and soon he's teasing each breast with his hands and delicious mouth, and oh, God, she just wants to stay here forever. Soon he's in his boxers and she's naked and he sucks in a sharp breath and just takes the time to examine her; the flushed, lightly freckled skin, the infinity symbol underneath her breasts, the place where her ribs end to the soft flesh, her mother's initials tiny and faint with time. Her face is flushed and her hazel eyes are pine green and chocolate, her lips kiss-swollen, her wavy chestnut hair splayed out across the bed.

Now she's grown impatient; now she tugs off his boxers and he smirks, causing her to glower and roll her eyes. She gasps, eyes widening slightly, as he slides within her in one fluid stroke. He pulls out almost all the way, causing her to whimper in protest; however, in the next thrust, he's buried himself deeper than she's ever let anyone go before, both metaphorically, and literally. He pins her hands behind her head and ravages her neck while creating a steady rhythm; she gasps and curses and writhes beneath him. He kisses her lips and murmurs softly, huskily nonetheless, "I want you to open your eyes."

She nods and moans, opening her hazel eyes. Her breathing hitches as one hand reaches to tease her core, the other pinching her nipples. Kate's eyes cloud over and a few thrusts later and she's screaming his name, "Rick!" over and over, panting heavily. A few more thrusts after and she's seeing stars again.

Then he's screaming, "Kate!" as he shudders and spills himself deep within her.

They lay like that, sweaty and panting and naked and entwined for a little while, before he pulls out and rolls off of her. She's still breathing heavily, and they're somewhat disoriented, but they're both scrambling to collect their thoughts.

"Wow," she says, and he turns slightly to look at her. She turns and smiles at him, then closes her eyes, breathing steadying.

"Wow?" he chuckles.

"Wow," she repeats, still a little breathless, "Wow."

"Kate?" he asks, fearful when she won't talk.

"Sorry," she sighs, "Having a hard time concentrating."

He smirks and she hits him across the chest; he chuckles.

She sighs again, sadly, though, this time, "Josh... Gina..."

He frowns, "Oh."

"We can't..."

"We needed..."

"Release with someone who..."

"Understood," he nods, "Got it. Okay."

She smiles softly, running a hand down his cheek, "Please don't look so sad."

"I can't help it."

"I know," she whispers softly, "But try. Please, Rick."

He kisses her knuckles and exits the bed, "We should..."

"Get back to the city. Right," she nods, and he nods, too, smiling a little in relief. She smiles, too, back at him, and when he's showering she gets up and dresses hurriedly.

Ten minutes later, and he exits the bathroom.

"Hey," he murmurs softly, cautiously, perhaps, as well.

"Hey," she smiles, exhausted, "We caught a case."

"I call shotgun."

"Dammit."

They laugh and leave arm in arm, some semblance of normalcy restored, but what happened between them lurking merely beneath the elusive, flimsy surface nonetheless, no matter how hard they try to change it in their favor.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you Mary; I'm changing the birthday to April 1, 1971. :P Anyways, here we go. ^^ Thank you all so much for reviewing! :D And thanks to all who read it and didn't review!**

**Disclaimer: Still dunno who owns Castle. :/**

Their victim is Ophelia Morris, thirty-eight, single, divorced. A total cliche. They've gotten nowhere, really, and by lunch the captain sends them home. Home. In some odd way, Kate finds this hilarious. Home, right. She likes Josh, she really, really does, but he's not home. Bitterness has crept into her heart and settled there. Kate sighs and from the safety of the car, texts Josh. He replies he wants to take her to lunch; knowing what he's implying, Kate warily agrees, and speeds off to the little hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant (family owned, of course) where she had met Josh that July.

"Hey, Katie," he greets, grinning as he lounges in their usual booth. Kate resists very hard the urge to roll her eyes at his pet-name.

"Hey, Josh," she nods in acknowledgment, "How was your night?"

He smiles briefly, "Good. Busy. Sorry I didn't get back at all. It's a little less crazy now, but they'll need me back in twenty minutes or so. But I really wanted to buy you lunch, so..."

"Thanks," she nods, smiling genuinely, "Really, thanks. And it's okay, I had a lot of paperwork to wrap up this case. Figured when it was five and I was still at the precinct I'd just stay."

He chuckles, responding, "Your captain called me. Filled me in the need-to-know stuff. Your partner okay?"

"Yeah," she nods, "A little shaken up, but you know, that's to be expected. The captain kicked us out. He probably went to tell his girlfriend, Gina. She'll be pissed."

He laughs, "She's that bad?"

"Horrible," groans Kate, admitting it finally aloud, "She's not only his boss, but his second ex-wife. You'd think he'd give up on her, considering he was the one to file for divorce. But no. Guess not."

"That's so fucking... cliched," he laughs, and she smiles and laughs, too. Because it is, it really, really is.

"You okay, Kate?" he asks, softer this time, and perhaps even genuinely concerned.

"Yeah," she nods and exhales a shaky breath she hadn't really realized she'd been holding, "Been better, but I've also been worse."

Just then, Josh's pager goes off; he quickly scans the message, leans across the booth and kisses Kate gently on the lips.

"Sorry, babe. Duty calls," he murmurs huskily, apologetically, as he stands to leave.

"No, it's alright. I should probably get back, too," she admits, nodding and smiling reassuringly.

When he's gone she sighs and flutters her eyes closed, leaning her head against her hand. Then she stands, knowing she can't go back to work, and instead shoves her hands into her pockets, looking downwards, and begins the long walk to their apartment. Kate hangs up her coat, grabbing one of his novels randomly, and plops down on the couch with a bowl of ice cream.

She's picked up Flowers for her Grave; perfect. She crams it down and by 3:30 she's bored, so she picks up A Rose For Everafter. Kate likes Keira. That's why Keira pissed her off. Or that's what she tells herself. Kate exhales a frustrated sigh and begins.

Around six, she gets up, checks her phone; one message from Castle, two from Josh. She smiles and for dessert, cheesecake leftover from lunch a day ago with Lanie. He's home as she's setting the table; she smiles briefly, he nods, grinning in relief, and they sit down and eat.

Later that night, she showers and quickly pulls on gray sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt, pulling her hair back up into a sloppy bun. She crawls into bed next to Josh, who spoons her. She sighs shakily and flutters her eyes closed.

"Not tonight," she murmurs, "Too tired."

"I know," he whispers softly, "Me too. But can I hold you?"

"Always," she smirks and giggles a little. He squeezes her close and she giggles again as his beard tickles the back of her neck.

He sighs, breath hot on her neck, as he says softly, "I'm glad... I'm glad you're okay. And that he's okay."

"Thanks," she murmurs, yawning tiredly. She knows it isn't what he wants to say, but she lets it go.

He nods, swallowing, "No problem, Katie. Sleep now."

"Night, Josh," she yawns.

Chuckling he whispers into her ear, "Night, Katie."

* * *

The next day, she finds herself in the precinct early, absently eating a bear claw and drinking her first coffee of the morning. Frowning, lips pursed in concentration, brow furrowed in thought, she stares (or glares, depending on your outlook) at the murder board. Ophelia was killed between three and four in the morning of October 14 (the day of Castle's kidnapping) and was found about fifteen hours later. She was killed with a stab wound to her neck that severed her spinal cord. It makes Kate slightly ill to think about it.

"Hey," his voice is softer, more cautious, than usual as he comes in, "First cup?"

She nods and he smiles; she gratefully accepts the second cup of coffee he's offering, along with the extra bear claw.

"Thanks," she mumbles, "Kind of hungry. God. This makes me ill."

"I know," he sighs, turning and smirking wearily at her, "Could be worse."

Groaning and rolling her eyes, Kate replies, "Jesus. Don't want to even think about how."

"Well, you could be-"

She glares at him and clamps a hand over his mouth, muffling his words. He bites down on her hand.

"Ow! God, Castle, grow the hell up," she growls, quickly withdrawing the hand and wiping it off on her pants. He grins wickedly and waggles her eyebrows suggestively. She hits him on the back of the head and he winces.

He grabs her wrist and twists it behind her back. She's laughing and screaming until she's crying, chanting, "Let me go, dammit, let me _go_!"

"Never," he whispers huskily into her ear, causing her to shudder involuntarily.

She twists around and pushes him off the desk. He squeaks and yanks at her wrist, pulling her down on top of him. They stay like that, breathing erratic, until he flips them over, pinning her beneath him with his legs, and begins to tickle her.

"Stop! Stop it!" she cries out, laughing and writhing as he attacks her.

"Say 'uncle'," he growls.

"Never," she gasps out.

"Kate," he urges, tickling her harder.

"Fine! Fine! Uncle! Uncle!" she laughs hysterically, glowering at him nonetheless.

He rolls off her, standing up and brushing off his pants. She's breathing heavily on the ground, eyes shut, trying to regain her breath and her sanity.

"I'm going to kick your ass," she growls, laughing now. He's laughing, too.

"Here. Let me help you up."

She sighs and rolls her eyes, grabbing his outstretched hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"We're nowhere," she huffs out a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms across her chest, "Ophelia was pretty damn boring, that's for sure. Was in the navy after college, resigned from it and went to law school. Works for a firm famous for divorce cases."

"Hmm," he frowns, considering, "Maybe she represented someone and their ex-spouse got angry and whacked her."

She chuckles, snorting and raising her eyebrows, "Well. That'd be too damn easy, wouldn't it, now?"

"It's obvious that whoever did this to Ophelia probably had some sort of extensive military training. Maybe an upset person from her slightly tumultuous past?" he suggests, not really serious.

She shrugs, then her eyes widen, she turns to him, and she exclaims, "You're a fucking genius, Castle."

"I try," he smirks and she rolls her eyes, smirking, too giddy to attack him.

"Ryan, get checking up on Ophelia's past connections. Look back up to twenty years, okay? Esposito, I want you to do background checks on her present connections. Castle, you and I are visiting Ophelia's former CO."

"Sweet!" he says and she chuckles, rolling her eyes.

"I'm driving!" she hollers and he growls under his breath, causing her to smirk as they walk out.

* * *

Ophelia's old CO is sixty-two and retired. His name is Thomas Mahoney, and he's quite helpful. He says Ophelia did have a few minor altercations with a couple of people; Lilly Jonas, Mark Isaac, and Yvonne Rhodes. They weren't too important, just silly stuff, really, but nonetheless, Castle and Beckett decide to talk to them. They thank the CO and leave. Lilly Jonas is first on their list. Now forty-three, she's a successful woman still in the army, married to forty-four year old Samuel Jonas with one child, Emma Mae, who is twenty-one years old.

"Yeah, we fought," says Lilly with a shrug, as they talk in her living room, "If you don't mind my prying, what's this about?"

"Mrs. Jonas, Ophelia Morris was found murdered on Friday morning, and we have reason to believe her killer had extensive military training," starts Beckett, hesitating a little, "I'm very sorry, but I have to ask, where were you between the hours of three and four in the morning on October 14?"

"My God," Lilly says, clapping a hand over her mouth, "Of course. Sam and I were up late because Emma Mae wanted to watch some movie marathon with her boyfriend. I know she's twenty-one, but we don't really know her boyfriend, George Yates, very well, so... so we kind of spied on them."

Kate nods, handing the woman her card, "Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Jonas. I'm very sorry for your loss. Please try not to leave town until this is sorted out, and that goes for your family as well. If you remember anything, even if it seems insignificant, please don't hesitate to call."

Lilly nods rapidly, "Okay. Thanks. No problem. Um, call me Lilly, I guess. Emma Mae's going back to NYU tomorrow morning is that okay?"

"Yes, of course, Mrs. Jonas," Kate nods, standing, "We'll be in touch."

"Let me walk you to the door," she says, and she ushers Castle and Beckett outside.

"She didn't do it," Castle says as they exit. Beckett merely nods.

"Now what? We go talk to Mark?"

Beckett nods.

"Then Yvonne?" he asks.

She shrugs, "Don't know. Depends how cooperative Mr. Isaac is."

"Can I drive?"

"No," she chuckles, rolling her eyes.

Pouting childishly, Castle whines, "But why?"

"Because I said so. Because it's my car. Want me to continue?" she answers, smirking.

He sighs and shakes his head, replying, "Nope, I'm good."

They enter the car and start off to interview Mark Isaac, who lives currently in Harlem. She glances over at him occasionally, and he looks at her, too, warily, almost, as if they are watching one another. It's a stalemate neither one dares to break.

No matter what happens, it'll surely break on its own eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to Lauren, Katy, Hayden, Thunder, Ace, Amy, Urbi, and Tatiana for putting up with my questions and helping me to write this, unofficially. (: Thanks to my muse, Sloane, for unofficially getting me into crime shows and teaching me about guns and jailbreaks. Thanks to Grayson for putting up with my crap for eleven years, and thanks to Kim for helping me see the light. :/ Thanks to Evanescence, Sarah McLachlan, Delerium, Seether, and all the other greats bands I listened to while writing this. :P**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing. Damn.**

Mark Isaac wasn't even in the United States when Ophelia Morris was murdered; he was in Italy on business. Kate sighs in frustration and hits her head against the steering wheel; even Castle knows better than to make some smart-ass comment right now. Instead he places a tentative, hesitating, gentle hand on Kate's back, rubbing small, soothing circles while she calms down. Taking a shaky, steadying breath she slowly lifts her head, turning to smile weakly at him. She leans back and closes her eyes, exhaling in frustration.

"We'll find whoever did this," he promises, and she merely nods, too worn out to do much else.

"Guess we're paying Yvonne Rhodes a visit, huh?" he asks.

"Yeah," she sighs and starts the engine, "She lives in New Jersey now. Of all places..."

"Road trip," he grins, "Sounds good."

She turns and glares at him, "Hands to yourself."

He pouts, sighs, and turns away to look out the window. He feels her hand on his upper thigh, and turns to see something softer in her eyes.

"Sorry," she murmurs, retracting her hand, "Sorry."

He nods, "It's okay."

And the elephant in the room (car) proceeds to grow.

* * *

Yvonne Rhodes is in a hospital bed on life support, dying of a heroin OD. Her girlfriend, Adia, looks up and smiles weakly when they come in. Adia kisses Yvonne's head and leaves with Beckett and Castle.

"Lilly called," she says, "She and Yvonne were close. Very close, lovers, even. They still talked. I guess I should've seen the signs. Yvonne was really depressed, and she'd never done drugs before... I came home from court one day and found her passed out on the floor. Even if she lives, she'll have severe brain damage and she'll get arrested for the drugs. It's really unfair. I'm sorry I couldn't help you further, but Yvonne's been in the hospital for nine days and I've been with her most of the time. I was here while they ran some tests when Ophelia was killed. So sad, huh? If you don't mind, I'd prefer to go back to Yvonne. I'm not going anywhere until her condition changes. No worries, detective. Nice to meet ya'll."

They nod, letting her go back to Yvonne; then the duo makes their way back to the car.

"Okay," sighs Kate, "So, that got us nowhere, but we do know that Lilly and Yvonne were lovers. Maybe if the affair continued..."

"Maybe Sam found out about it," finishes Castle, "And maybe he didn't like it one bit. A guy he could handle, but a girl? That's a serious bruise to his ego. Maybe Ophelia knew, too, and tried to blackmail him, but it backfired. Hell, maybe she was a part of it."

She nods, "Let's get lunch on our way to Manhattan. We can talk to Sam tomorrow. I don't really think Adia did it. She was upfront with us about the affair."

"Guilty conscious, perhaps?" asks Castle.

Kate shrugs, "Maybe. What're you in the mood for?"

"You," he replies, grinning cheekily.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Kate responds, "I'd slap you, but I kind of walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yup," he nods easily in agreement.

"Seriously," she groans in frustration, "What do you want to eat? And I _will_ slap you this time, Castle, be warned."

He shrugs, then proceeds to suggest, "Italian, maybe."

She nods, "Okay. I can live with that. I know a little place on Staten Island, not too far from the city, cheap but good. We'll stop there."

He nods and she revs the engine, sighing, "We should maybe talk to Ophelia's ex-husband, Lucas Waters."

"Sure," he agrees, smiling softer still, "We'll talk to Sam and Lucas tomorrow, okay?"

She nods vigorously, then agrees easily, "Okay. Sure."

He glances at her once more, briefly, however, and then shakes his head, sighs, and turns away. Lips pursed and brow furrowed, Kate begins the drive to the city. She is still unable to shake this feeling of teetering on the precipice of something much too large for either of them... she sighs, frustrated now, and shakes her head as if to rid of the thoughts scrambling about within there; then Kate maintains focus on the road, not him, while he continues to focus on her.

The dam is bound to break soon enough.

* * *

Their lunch is quiet and uneventful, full of banter and laughter. They arrive in the city around four, and Kate drops Castle off at his loft. Then she heads to the precinct, adds what they now know to the murder board, and around six, leaves. She grabs a quick bite at Burger King on her way to the apartment; sure enough, Josh isn't home, he's still on call, so Kate dresses hurriedly in a pair of black yoga pants and a white camisole and plops herself on the couch with the TV onto a rerun of _Law & Order_. She smirks and laughs; she's seen this episode before, and she's always enjoyed it. Especially now; the bittersweet nature of this particular episode almost makes her want to cry.

After the episode's done, she's suddenly in the mood to watch _The X-Files_, so she pops in the DVD she had happened to 'borrow' from Castle. The movie instantly comes to life; it's the first one, the one she'd seen in the theater when it had come out almost twelve years ago.

"Hey, babe," she hears, and looks up and smiles softly as Josh enters the apartment, leaning down to kiss her forehead. She sighs shakily and flutters her eyes closed.

"Tired..." she murmurs, and he nods, chuckling slightly.

He gently guides her into the bedroom; she's asleep in a matter of minutes. He smiles wistfully as he watches her sleep. Then he sighs, climbs in beside her, and soon joins her in a fitful sleep.

She's awoken an hour or so later by the shrill ringing of her phone. Grunting, she answers, yawning, "Beckett."

Her eyes widen in shock; Ophelia's ex-husband, Lucas, has been murdered. Suddenly, this case seems far more sinister. She quickly scribbles down the address, hangs up, leaves a note for Josh, and as she dresses calls Castle to inform him of the latest development. Then she leaves, swings by to pick up Castle, and drives to the scene. He runs off to buy coffee, while she ducks under the tape to see the body.

"What've we got?" she inquires.

"Lucas Zachary Waters," Esposito confirms, "Age forty-three; ex-husband of one deceased Ophelia Morris."

She nods, "Okay. Cause of death?"

"Gunshot wound to the head; point-blank range," Lanie tells her, "I'll know more when we get back to the morgue, okay?"

Kate nods, absorbing this information, "Okay. Obviously, this wasn't just about Ophelia. They divorced about a year and a half ago; it wasn't messy, but it wasn't pretty, either."

"Maybe the divorce lawyer was sick of them," suggests Castle, absently handing her a cup of coffee. She snorts and rolls her eyes, smirking at his insane logic.

"Yes, Castle. Because if all divorce lawyers were homicidal, you'd still be alive," she quips.

He pouts and crouches down, "Maybe this guy didn't believe in divorce."

"So he got a degree for nothing? Come on, Castle, be realistic. Law school's sure as hell not a walk in the park."

"Have you gone?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then how'd you know?" he asks, smirking.

She huffs impatiently and rolls her eyes; he grins smugly. She punches him gently in the shoulder, smiling, and continues to examine the dead body on the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long. :/ Sometimes I have the attention span of a four year old. :P**

**Disclaimer: Same as the usual. Duh.**

They've been on the Ophelia Morris case for nine days now; Lucas had been murdered sometime around Day Three or Day Four. Kate's not really sure one way or the other. She huffs a frustrated sigh and glares at the whiteboard, the bane of her existence. She should head home, she should go to Josh's apartment and give into the lies. But the problem (and the truth of the matter) is that she no longer believes the lies they'd created, no longer believes the lies he tells her, nor the ones (especially not) she repeats to herself, over and over, like a monotonous mantra inside her head, because maybe the more she says it, the more she'll believe it. But that's all nonsense, that's all bullshit; Kate knows that now. Her eyes had been half-shut since May and now they've been pried open, and all she wants is the darkness, the bittersweet, believable lies.

On her desk is a lukewarm coffee and a picked-at bear claw he'd brought her almost an hour ago, before she'd sent him home dismissively for a brief rest. Kate closes her eyes, but it, unfortunately, doesn't help her much.

"Yo," says Ryan, snapping her out of her thoughts, "One of Lucas's coworkers, Thomas Palermo, remembers something Lucas said. He's in the interrogation room waiting for you, Kate, if you'd like to take a run at him."

She nods, smiles briefly, vaguely, tiredly, "Yeah. Okay."

"He has a couple minor charges. One DUI when he was nineteen and three parking tickets. Other than that, Tommy's clean," Esposito informs her, "Where's your shadow?"

"Told him to get some sleep," she rolls her eyes, smirking a little, "Anyways, thanks."

She saunters into the interrogation room, and a young man certainly no older than twenty-seven glances up nervously. He has jet-black hair that's shaggy and reaches his shoulders, with steel-gray eyes and pale-as-the-moon skin. He's thin and tall.

"So, Mr. Palermo," she begins, smiling softly, reassuringly at the nervous young man, "How long have you worked for the firm?"

"Two months Tuesday," he affirms, grinning easily, "Lucas was kind of my mentor, you know?"

She nods, "I know the feeling, Mr. Palermo. What brings you here today?"

"Lucas told me something last Saturday, after Ophelia died. At the time, I brushed it off... Lucas could be a little odd, you know? Anyways, I complained to him about my girlfriend of six years, Iris Franks. She'd been spending too much time with a couple of her friends, Hallie Carson and Zoe McIntosh... they're kind of into drugs. Anyhow, Mr. Waters... ah, Lucas, anyways, he got this weird look on his face and said, 'It's not too late for you.' Then he just shrugged and walked off."

Kate nods, furrowing her brow a little, "Please write this down, Mr. Palermo. And I hate to ask you this, but where were you between the hours of 9 and 10 PM on October 18?"

"No problem. I was with Iris," he shrugs, smirking, "My buddy, Ian Hanson, wanted to ask this girl, Michelle Johnson out, but he was nervous, so we double-dated, you know?"

"Okay," she nods, smiling briefly, "I'll be asking Iris, Ian, and Michelle to confirm, alright?"

He nods, "No problem. All good."

She leaves, looks up the records of Iris Franks, Hallie Carson, Zoe McIntosh, Ian Hanson, and Michelle Johnson. Aside from a parking ticket here or there, they're all clean; well, aside from Hallie and Zoe, who'd been arrested for dealing and solicitation two years ago. She'll need to talk to them, definitely.

She grabs her coffee, sips it, scowls, and gets back to work. Today's gonna be a long day, for sure.

* * *

Josh is waiting for her when she gets back from work, thoroughly exhausted. She smiles wanly at him and pads to the kitchen, kissing his cheek. He smirks and gestures to the food he had made.

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup," he grins, chuckling and shrugging abashedly, "Could be worse."

"Yeah," she agrees, nodding, grabbing some food, "So. How was your day?"

"Uneventful, really," he shrugs, "Not much to do. And you?"

"Well," she sighs, "I can't really discuss it. But we're nowhere new."

"Ah," he nods, "Sorry, Kate."

"It's okay," she turns, smiling at him, "Not your fault, really, it isn't."

"Thanks," he murmurs, and she's suddenly aware of the short distance between them. She feels threatened and slightly out of breath, but she doesn't run because this is her boyfriend... and she needs the lies, needs to believe them, even for just one millisecond.

When Josh's lips gently brush against hers, she applies more pressure; she takes control of the situation, and twenty minutes later as she lies spent across his chest, both trying to catch their breath, she squeezes her eyes shut and finally feels wrong, so wrong and so horrible for doing this. For leading him on. But she needed to... it's been almost ten days since that night/day with Castle, and Josh's her boyfriend and he'd be too suspicious if she didn't have sex with him, and she suspects Castle's back with Gina anyways, so what difference does it make, really, in the long run? Still she cannot justify it. It's just... wrong, sick, manipulative. Isn't it?

"Thank you," Josh whispers into her hair, and she stiffens briefly.

"What for?" she asks carefully, calmly, albeit a tad shakily.

"For letting me make love to you tonight," he murmurs again.

"Sorry," she mumbles, blushing furiously, "Just been busy, you know how it is."

He nods, "I do."

They lapse into an awkward, somewhat uncomfortable silence, till her phone rings. She can't help smirking and chuckling a little. _Saved by the bell_, she thinks to herself, sighing in frustrated relief as she reaches across Josh to grab it. His hand wraps tightly around her wrist like a tourniquet and she narrows her eyes at him, glaring.

"Josh..." she growls in warning.

"You haven't been yourself for almost two weeks, Kate," he says.

"I need my phone, Josh. It's work, for God's sake," she snarls.

He nods, releases her arm.

"Thanks," she mumbles, and he merely nods.

"Beckett," she says edgily into the phone.

"This a bad time?" asks Esposito, and she can almost see his smug smile. Bastard.

"No, not at all. What is it?"

"Yvonne Rhodes is dead, and her girlfriend, Adia Monroe is hysterical. She's at the precinct and she refuses to talk to anyone but you, so if you could..."

She nods vigorously, "Okay. I'll be right there."

"Thanks," Esposito says, hanging up.

She sighs, smiling wearily, kisses Josh's forehead, "Suspect's girlfriend is on the warpath. Hopefully I'll be back, but if not, I'll call you as soon as I've talked to her, okay?"

He nods, "Kate?"

"Yeah?" she turns from dressing.

"I'm sorry."

She nods slowly, biting her lower lip, "Yeah. I know you are. Look, we'll talk later, okay? Right now I really gotta go."

"Okay. Bye," he says, sighing, then adds, "Be safe, Kate."

"I will," she promises, leaning down to kiss him gently, softly.

She grabs her keys, purse, and phone, throws on her ring and watch, and dashes out the door.

* * *

"Castle?" she asks, surprised to see him at ten o'clock at her desk with a coffee waiting for her, "What are you doing here?"

He shrugs, absently handing her the coffee, "Couldn't sleep, I guess."

"Yeah," she murmurs agreeably, sipping at her coffee, "I know the feeling."

He sighs, "Adia's in the conference room."

She nods, "Thanks. For the coffee, I mean."

He grins tiredly, "I know. And you're welcome. Kate."

She blushes furiously, glaring, sauntering to the conference room with his laughter following behind her. She smirks and rolls her eyes, clicking the door shut behind her. Adia looks up from the table. Her eyes are red, puffy, and bloodshot, her face tear-stained. Upon seeing Kate enter the conference room, she stands, bolts to her, and envelopes Kate into a tight hug. Surprised, Kate once more stiffens; then she relaxes and holds the sobbing, grieving young woman tightly in her arms.

"Ugh. I'm sorry," Adia smiles, embarrassed.

"No, it's okay," Kate says, "You wanted to talk to me, Adia?"

"Yeah. About Yvonne."

"Well. What is it?"

"Yvonne was having an affair with Ophelia's ex-husband. They broke it off a week before Ophelia was murdered."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just randomly realized something that sent me into a fit of hysterics. :/ I have this friend Becky and she's seeing a guy named Josh. Sorry if that's not funny to anyone else. :P**

**Disclaimer: God. Why am I posting this? D:**

Kate swears her heart stops beating as she asks, "Excuse me?"

Adia sniffles and looks up, nodding her confirmation, "Yeah. Yvonne... she's never been great with relationships, you know? There was that whole thing with Lilly in the service... it rekindled in March, but but May they'd broken up. And a couple months ago I caught Yvonne and Lucas on a date. I confronted her. I told her to decide. She continued to see him, so I started seeing Ophelia, because you know, she doesn't really like Lucas much, so why the hell not? Then in early September we started seeing one another... on and off, friends-with-benefits, you know? Anyways, I was still with Yvonne and Ophelia knew that, but she also knew about Lucas and Yvonne. They got real into it a few weeks ago. Lucas broke it off with Yvonne. I came home from work that day and I found her passed out with the pill bottle in her hand. Ophelia came to the hospital the day she died. She told me she loved me and I should leave Yvonne. Would Yvonne die for me? That was her logic. Anyways, I turned her down, we got into an altercation of sorts, and Ophelia left in a cab. That's the last I saw of her Detective Beckett, I swear. I wouldn't kill Ophelia. Yeah, I loved Yvonne, but I loved Ophelia, too. If Ophelia were still alive... I'd be with her, wrong as that is. Yvonne used me."

"The tests?"

"Yes," she nods, sniffling still, "Ophelia told me about Lucas dumping Yvonne, that he'd told her in a panic when he had heard about her suicide attempt. They were testing... to see if Yvonne was pregnant. She'd been having symptoms on and off, you see. She wasn't, but I didn't know that at the time, and... Ophelia just suggested it, you know? And it made a lot of sense."

"Okay," Kate nods, "Okay. Why didn't you tell me this the first time?"

"I... I panicked. It's motive, right?"

Kate grimaces and nods, "Yup. But, we talked to Yvonne's doctor, the nurses, etc., beforehand... but now that we know this, this could be a whole new case. Did Ophelia happen to mention why Lucas dumped Yvonne?"

"Yeah," she shrugs, sniffling, "Like I said, Ophelia confronted Lucas. They got really into it, you know? Anyways, Lucas told her he'd found another woman... he was gonna dump Yvonne for her."

"Do you have her name?"

"Melanie," she says softly, "Melanie DuBois."

"Thank you for your time, Miss Monroe, and I'm very sorry for your loss," Kate says sincerely, leading Adia out the door.

"You're welcome," she nods, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have."

"Well, you told me now, and that's what matters, okay?"

"What was that about?" asks Castle as Beckett slowly sits back down.

"Yvonne and Lucas were having an affair... Adia confronted Yvonne, told her to stop, but she didn't. So she began seeing Ophelia. Ophelia wanted more and Adia panicked, but she didn't kill her; the doctors confirmed her alibi. Lucas apparently dumped Yvonne; that's why she tried to off herself. Anyways, Lucas dumped her for another woman: Melanie DuBois, thirty-three years old, of Bronx, New York. Let's go pick her up," Kate tells him. He nods, grinning, and follows her out of the precinct to the car.

She rolls her eyes and drives.

* * *

Three hours later finds Kate and Castle interrogating Melanie DuBois. She's five-six, with honey-blonde curls that reach her waist and cat-like cerulean eyes. She's amiably talking to Castle. Kate rolls her eyes at her and gently slaps at Castle's hand so he focuses. Frowning, he stares at Melanie, causing her to giggle and blush.

"Miss DuBois," begins Kate, slow and all business, "Were you seeing a Mr. Lucas Waters?"

She frowns angrily, "That bastard! What did he say about me now?"

Kate and Castle share a quick, worried glance, and Kate asks, "What do you mean, Melanie?"

She rolls her eyes and huffs indignantly, "Bastard said he was over her. Over her! You should've seen him and his ex-wife. Bastard said they didn't even talk. What else did he keep from me? Huh?"

"Well," Castle says, and Kate glares.

"Well?" she inquires, glancing from one to the other, "What's going on?"

"Miss DuBois," Kate says calmly, gravely, "Lucas Waters was found dead Sunday evening."

She looks horrified and claps a hand over her mouth, "Oh, my God."

"Where were you from nine to ten on Sunday night?"

"I was with a friend. Tommy Palermo," she says, "He's my boyfriend."

Castle and Beckett glance at each other.

"Iris..."

"Iris? Oh, _that_ whore," Melanie huffs, rolling her eyes, "She doesn't deserve Tommy. Tommy loves _me_, not her."

"Well," says Kate, standing, "Thank you, Miss DuBois. Please don't leave the country."

She nods and waves them out of her home, "Yeah. I know the drill. Bye."

As they exit the house Beckett says, "Okay, so Tommy's cheating on Iris with Melanie. And Melanie's Lucas's girlfriend. Maybe Ophelia knew about the affair, and maybe she was gonna tell Lucas about Tommy and Melanie. Then Lucas-"

"Found out anyways," grins Castle, concluding this sentence, "So then Tommy panicked."

"And killed him. Bam."

They grin and get in the car, driving off to pick up the lying Thomas Evan Palermo. He comes with them to the precinct, and Beckett lets him stew in interrogation for a little while before going in. He glances up and she narrows her eyes, slapping a file down.

"You lied to us, Tommy. You weren't with Iris," she says coolly, sitting down, "She says you blew her off."

He shrugs, "Yeah?"

"Mhm," Kate leans in, "We also talked to Melanie."

His eyes and widen and he falters, "Who?"

"Melanie DuBois. Your girlfriend?" clarifies Kate, "Oh, wait. She wasn't your girlfriend, she was Lucas's girlfriend. And you _knew_ that getting caught with your pants down with your boss's girlfriend was a potential career ender. What happened, Tommy? Did Ophelia find out? Hell, maybe she caught you in the act. Maybe she wanted to tell Lucas that he'd obviously taught you well. So you stabbed her. Then maybe Lucas found out somehow, and you shot him in panic. All in the name of love."

Tommy was crying at this point, "I didn't mean to kill them. I offered them money, anything... but it wasn't enough! It was never enough. After Melanie fell asleep I slipped out. I used her gun."

Kate sighs, rolls her eyes, and halfheartedly arrests him. Ryan takes him to booking and she goes to the breakroom for some much-needed coffee. That's where Castle finds her; sipping coffee and absently reading through a newspaper. He smiles softly and sits down across from her.

"Hey," she murmurs, not bothering to glance up.

"Hey, Kate," he says, and she looks up, smiling briefly, exhausted.

She rubs her eyes sleepily and yawns, "God. I didn't sleep last night."

He smiles, "Me neither. You hungry?"

She nods, "Yeah. Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"Remy's?" he suggests; she narrows her eyes.

"There's a little sushi bar not too far from here..."

"Okay," he nods, and they stand.

He takes her hand and squeezes it gently; she smiles shyly at him. They grab their coats and walk laughing and talking and teasing to the elevator. Then they walk the four blocks or so to the sushi place, grab a table, and order.

Through lunch they talk and have a good time. They're just two friends. Hell, they're just any two people in the world right now. And Kate could get really, really used to it.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am on a ROLL, baby! :D As usual, thanks to Lusie, Thunder, Hayden, Katy, Tati, Ama, and Ace for putting up with my insane questions. Almost Famous part will start soon. ;) Maybe this chapter... maybe not. :P Depends on if Thunder and Hayden keep me hostage for long. D: Thanks as always to my muse, Sloane. Fuck you to hell, but thanks for the inspiration, bitch. I also found somewhere that Kate's birthday is November 17... so I'm changing it to November 17, 1978. Okay? Okay. :P I don't know if it's true or not, but whatever. And Castle's is April 1, 1971 in this story. Terri Miller is the one who said about Kate's birthday. :/**

**Disclaimer: Last disclaimer; ya'll should know by now I own nothing and am doing this for shits and giggles. :P**

Josh doesn't come that night and Kate knows he's off on call. Still, she feels a pang of disappointment. It's easier to believe in the lies when he's there to help her. But he's not, so she reads and watches more of The X-Files she had stolen from Castle. Around midnight she bathes and goes to bed. She's up at five and cooks breakfast. After eating, Kate makes her groggy way to the bedroom, showers, dresses, and is quickly on her way to work. She scrubs a hand over her face and groans as she starts the car. The car snarls and roars to life. Smirking, Kate drives to pick up Castle.

"Morning," he says cheerfully.

She rolls her eyes, "Coffee."

"Got it," he grins, handing her a thermos. She sips from it.

"Mmm," she sighs, "Thanks. Needed it."

"Gladly," he chuckles, "Got a call?"

She shakes her head, "No. But you never know, so we'll head over to the precinct."

He nods, "Okay. Sounds good."

She sighs and glances at the street. The radio's on and it's irritating the hell out of her. She grips the steering wheel tighter, clenches her teeth, and lets out a little hiss. He smirks and turns it up.

_"It's a lovely Monday this October 25, 2010! The high for today will be..."_

She growls and flips off the radio. He pouts and she glares, saying, "No radio."

"Why not?" he whines incessantly. She huffs, frustrated.

"Because I said so," she grinds out, "Okay?"

He nods, "Uh. Okay, I guess."

She smiles softly, "Sorry, Castle."

He nods again, "It's okay, Kate."

She smirks, "Wonder if we'll have anything to do today, really."

He shrugs, "Maybe. Maybe not."

Then, as if on cue, her phone rings. They share a knowing look and a cheesy grin as she answers it, "Beckett."

She nods, still smiling, "Okay. We'll be right there."

* * *

"Vic is Ida Welsh, twenty-four. Looks like a pop 'n' drop," says Ryan.

Kate huffs and rolls her eyes, warning, "Ryan..."

"Yeah, yeah," he, too, rolls his eyes, "Body's over here."

"Hey, Lanie," she murmurs absently, crouching beside the body, "What we got?"

"Well, I'd estimate at TOD from 2 to 6 PM yesterday afternoon, and from a small caliber bullet wound to the chest. She bled out slowly," Lanie informs her, "I'll know more at the morgue."

Kate nods, "Thanks, Lanie. Okay... any suspects?"

"Nope," Lanie shakes her head, "Neighbors say Ida was rarely, if ever, seen with anyone at all."

"Then how'd you end up dead?" muses Castle.

They talk to the neighbors and go back to the precinct. It's forty minutes later when a young, antsy woman shows up.

"Yes? How can I help you?" asks Beckett.

"My... my sister," she says softly, "Ida Welsh?"

"Yeah? You're Heidi Welsh?"

She nods, "Heidi Welsh-Thompson, actually."

"Okay," nods Beckett, softening a little, "Um. I'll show you a picture... you gotta tell me if it's her, okay?"

Heidi nods, smiling briefly, sadly, "Yeah. I know the drill. When Ida and I were younger we used to watch Law & Order a lot together. We still got together every now and again to watch."

Kate smiles softly, taking out Ida's photo. Heidi nods, tears brimming in her eyes. Kate pockets the photo and gently pushes Heidi into a seat, waiting for Heidi to take a shaky breath and swipe the tears from her eyes.

"That's Ida," she murmurs, "That's my sister."

"I'm sorry for your loss," mutters Kate.

"Are you?" Heidi asks, narrowing her eyes, "How many people do you say that to a day?"

Kate glances over at Castle, who shrugs, then turns to Heidi and says, "Heidi. Maybe I lost someone too, okay?"

Heidi softens, sniffles, and nods, "I'm sorry, Detective..."

"Beckett," Kate clarifies as Heidi nods vigorously, "Detective Kate Beckett. And that's Richard Castle."

Heidi grins, "Ida really loved your books. She couldn't wait for your newest book to come out."

He smiles softly, "Do you like the books, too?"

"Yeah," Heidi nods, grinning mischievously through her tears, "Yeah, but Ida was the real fan-girl. At the release of Heat Wave, she camped outside the Barnes & Noble across from her brownstone. That was Ida for you. She was always kind of erratic and crazy like that. But she always had this fierce determination I never did have. Ida tried to get onto Jeopardy because she heard you liked it. I told her she was nuts."

He laughs and nods, "I do enjoy Jeopardy, yes."

She smirks and chuckles softly, sadly, "I wish Ida were here."

Kate hesitates, "I really hate to ask you this, Heidi. But where were you between 2 and 6 PM yesterday?"

Heidi's eyes dart around nervously, "I was at my doctor's office."

"Why?"

"To have an abortion," Heidi states simply, shrugging, "I'm not fit to be a mother, and Jim's not fit to be a dad. Figured I'd take care of the problem. He beats me, drinks, does drugs. I used to do that shit, too, but I stopped because of Ida. Anyways, I didn't want to bring a kid into it. Please don't tell Jim."

"No promises," Kate says slowly, before continuing seriously, "But who performed the abortion?"

"Doctor Lance Carson," Heidi says, sighing shakily.

Kate nods, and leads her out, "Thank you, Heidi. We'll be in touch."

Heidi smirks, "You're welcome. Anything for Ida, right?"

Kate watches her leave, biting her lower lip. Castle watches her and cautiously follows her back to her desk, where she sits, frowning, brow furrowed in concentration, at the murder board.

"Something doesn't add up," she murmurs, more to herself than to him.

"No shit," Castle rolls his eyes, "She's dead."

Kate glowers and smacks his shoulder, smirking as he yelps in pain.

"Baby."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so sorry it's taken so long! I've changed some dialogue because my memory's shot. :( I found according to Terri Miller Beckett's now thirty... but I'm still staying with the age closer to Stana's because it makes more sense to me. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah. :P**

The murder of Ida Welsh was wrapped up within two days, and Kate was relieved. She was now sitting at her desk, finishing off the last of the paperwork while Castle, Ryan, and Esposito played quarter football. She's trying to be slow, avoiding going home. Maybe she'll crash at Lanie's. Or maybe not, because most likely Lanie will question her into the wee hours. Well, then maybe she'll just crash in the locker room on one of the benches. Not like she hasn't done it before, because she has.

She sighs, frustrated and exhausted and ready for this God-damned day to finally be over with. She ignores yet another text from Josh, because right now she really can't handle this. She just wants to finish the paperwork and go to sleep somewhere, preferably a quiet place where no one will bug her for ten or eleven hours. But that's a pipe dream, and Kate knows it.

She's soon done with her paperwork and goes off to the locker room, pulling out of her locker the blanket she keeps for when she needs to crash somewhere. Kate bunches up her jacket as a pillow and pulls the blanket over her on the bench. Sighing, she flutters her eyes closed and finally falls asleep.

* * *

Kate wakes with a protesting groan to the shrill, incessant ringing of her cell phone. She snaps it open and answers firmly, "Beckett."

"Hey, babe," it's Josh, "You busy?"

She swallows, "Kind of.. Why?"

"Well," he says slowly, "I have the afternoon and evening off. I was thinking we could grab a bite to eat, maybe see a movie..."

"Sure," she agrees quickly, perhaps too much so, "Sure. When? And where?"

"Um, there's that little Italian place I was telling you about. Then maybe we'll go to Blockbuster and rent a movie or two. Or three," he answers, "Your pick."

"Okay," she nods, "Okay. I'll see you later, then."

"Got to go," he says sadly, "Bye, Kate."

"Bye, Josh. See you later," she hangs up, sighing, shaking her head and frowning, biting her lower lip and furrowing her brow.

Kate stands, wincing a little as she stretches, sighing and padding out of the gym to the breakroom. She makes herself a cup of coffee, and then she turns to Ryan.

"What time is it? Where's Castle?" she asks.

He shrugs, "Around three. He left a couple hours ago."

She nodded, "Okay. Thanks."

Grinning he replies, "No problem."

She decides to go and work out. After practicing with the punching bag, Esposito kindly offers to spar with her, and she gladly accepts. A few minutes after five, as she's coming out of the locker room shower, her phone rings. She answers it.

"Beckett," she growls, "Okay, on it."

She sighs, and as she dresses hurriedly, she calls Castle, "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

He says he was already up, so she gives him directions to the homicide.

"What's the big hurry?" he asks as they briskly walk under the tape.

"Officer down," she explains.

"Who?"

"Dunno yet," Lanie responds, shrugging.

"Cabbie found him," Beckett informs him.

"Let's see what we've got here," Lanie murmurs, crouching and rolling over the body of the young officer.

"Well?" prompts Beckett, earning a glare from Lanie.

"Well, there's a single bullet wound to the chest. No Kevlar."

"Huh," Beckett frowns a little at that, "Okay. Odd. Go on."

"Wait..."

"What is it?" asks Beckett.

"This badge... it's an older model. Not really used since the 1980's," Lanie examines quietly.

"Maybe he was on a long time?" suggest Castle.

"No," Lanie says, "Doesn't look much older than thirty... hmmm..."

"Family in the force?"

"Don't think so," Lanie says, "His gun is holstered... huh."

"That's odd," Kate frowns, crouching beside Lanie, "Check the ammo clip."

"No ammo clip," she mumbles.

"This is really, really, weird," Castle states, taking the gun and firing it.

"Castle!" Beckett says, and he rolls his eyes.

"Tequila," he murmurs absently, eyes alight.

"The hell? Lanie, what is this?"

"Found an ID," hollers Ryan.

"Who are you?" murmurs Kate.

"Derek Brookner," Ryan informs, "Found his car, too."

They search the car while Lanie gets the body transported, find where he'd been last, and go to the apartment. They find a bunch of hungover young women. Castle and Beckett escort them to the precinct, where they question them, and get a whole bunch of nothing, except for one missing party girl.

It'll be a long case.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I am skipping 3x08 (though it did happen, but not in-depth here) and 3x09 (same thing). Same as 3x10, though it'll be a little more deep. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Same as usual. :/**

By Halloween, they've found about Derek's identity, Jesse Mandolay, and by the second of November, they've discovered he was killed by Rebecca's lawyer. Kate's at home with Thai food and a movie, _Avatar_, Castle's recommendation. It's good, she grudgingly admits. Josh's on call still, but Kate's got the night off and she's decided to take advantage of it. Lanie had said she had wanted to go to a club somewhere, and Kate and reluctantly agreed. It's around seven that Sunday evening, and Lanie's due to pick her up around nine. Quite frankly, she doesn't know why she agreed, but ever since her... encounter with Castle, almost a whole month ago, she's been far more careless with her relationship with Josh. She sees him, she has sex with him, and she shares her hopes and dreams; never once does she tell him her fears, her past, who she really is. She doesn't think he cares, and she's afraid that maybe he does.

Her musings are shattered by the shrill sound of the buzzer. She goes up and snaps, "Yeah?"

"Kate?" it's Castle; she sucks in a sharp breath, mutters absently a curse beneath her breath, and buzzes him in almost instantly.

She opens the door, "Yeah? Lanie's gonna be here in an hour or so."

He nods, "Okay. Where's the DVD's Alexis said you borrowed?"

She flushes a deep crimson, "Umm... give me a minute, okay?"

He nods absently, "Okay. Nice place."

"Yeah," she nods, agreeing easily, albeit awkwardly, "Yeah, I guess it is."

Castle grins, "Got the DVD's?"

"Mhm," Kate smirks, dumping the pile unceremoniously into his outstretched arms, "Here you go. Sorry."

"It's okay. I like to think of it as endearing..." she snorts and rolls her eyes, chuckling and smiling nonetheless.

"Well," she says awkwardly.

"Well," he repeats, "Guess I'll be going now."

"Guess so," she says, smiling apologetically, "See you tomorrow, Castle?"

"Yeah. You will."

"Okay," she nods, "Bye."

He leaves, she finishes her movie, and Lanie picks her up on time for once in her life. They go out and have fun, but because Kate's wary of being called on the spot, she doesn't drink. It's a good thing, too, when they get called in three hours into it. Cursing, Lanie calls an Assistant ME and Kate drives to the crime scene. It's near Brooklyn, so of course there's going to be a pissing contest. Great. She groans, rolling her eyes and crouching beside the body.

"Well?" she asks the young ME.

"Well, I dunno yet. Dr. Parish can further examine this corpse when he's at the morgue," huffs Lanie's impatient assistant.

"Fine," she growls, shrugging, "Fine."

Soon after, she goes home, since Lanie's assistant is too much of an ass to be helpful.

* * *

Josh arrives home around three that morning to find Kate passed out, fully dressed, in bed. Smiling he crawls in beside her.

"Hey," she murmurs groggily.

"Hey, sorry," he smiles apologetically; she smiles tiredly, yawns, turns, and kisses him.

"I'm going to get undressed," she tells him, getting out of bed and changing into more comfortable pajamas before settling in.

"How was your day?" he asks.

"Fine," she yawns, "Exhausting. Yours?"

"Pretty much the same," he chuckles, then sighs, "Anyways. We should sleep."

"Yeah. Probably," she agrees easily.

Josh leans over and kisses her, "Get some rest."

She nods, "Okay."

Kate falls asleep; Josh watches her, wondering what she is dreaming about. Then he, too, falls asleep with her.

They are awakened at around six by the shrill, incessant ringing of Kate's phone; groaning, she answers it with a sleepy, "Beckett."

Kate scribbles the address, promises to be right there, and hangs up, swinging her legs off the bed and shooting an apologetic smile at Josh, who is peering at her curiously. Kate leans over and kisses him gently, murmuring about work, and he understands. Of course he does, she thinks a tad irritably. Kate gets out of bed, grabs her clothes, uses the bathroom; twenty minutes later she's at the scene, and Castle wordlessly hands her a coffee and bearclaw for breakfast.

"Looks just like a hit and run," Lanie muses, "I got the body from Travis. I'm sorry he was so rude to you last night, Kate. Really."

Kate chuckles, "It's okay."

Lanie nods, "Well, I don't see any intent here. But I'd like to autopsy, just to be sure."

"Probably a good idea," agrees Kate easily, "So, have you started on the body from last night?"

"Yeah," Lanie nods absently, "His name is Darius McCoy."

"Got a record?"

"Petty larceny and public indecency," Lanie shrugs, "He's twenty-eight years old."

"Cause of death?" pipes in Castle.

"He was stabbed. With a butter knife," Lanie admits.

Kate adds, "Near the Brooklyn bridge. So be prepared."

Lanie groans, "Dammit. Sometimes it's really like working with dogs... honestly..."

Kate chuckles, smirking humorlessly, "Well. Anyways, worst comes to worst we'll share."

"Mhmm," Lanie nods.

"A butter knife? That's hard to do," muses Castle.

"Agreed," Lanie says.

Kate shrugs, "Well, depends on strength, as usual."

They eye her weirdly and Kate asks defensively, "What?"

"Nothing," Castle and Lanie assure her quickly, in unison, causing Kate to nod slowly and narrow her eyes into slits.

"Right..." mutters Kate, sighing and rolling her eyes, "Well, I'm going to the precinct. Call me, Lanie. You coming, Castle?"

"Yup," Castle says, following Kate like a puppy.

Lanie rolls her eyes, "Let's bring her home."

* * *

"November 8, 2:40 PM, beginning autopsy on Caroline Greene," Lanie announces into the recorder, "Age thirty-one, perfect health..."

Then she cuts into the poor girl, humming cheerfully, while in the shadows someone lurks and watches her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am just sad... that's all...**

**Disclaimer: I still own zilch. :/**

Two days into the Darius McCoy case and they're still nowhere at all. Kate furrows her brow, bites her lower lip, and studies the murder board in case they've missed something. It's then that Lanie appears. It's funny how she does that, Kate thinks wryly to herself. But nonetheless, she is intrigued by Lanie's breathless entrance.

"Yeah?" Kate asks.

"I found something on Caroline Greene," Lanie announces.

"Car crash vic?"

"Yeah. I found a hair."

"Oh? Whose?"

"Well, I dunno yet," Lanie shrugs and Kate frowns before Lanie quickly continues, "But! The hair we found on Darius McCoy?"

"Yeah?"

"Same guy," Lanie grins.

Kate nods, scribbling it onto the murder board, "Okay. So we've got one guy found in an alley three blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge, stabbed to death with a butter knife, and we've got one woman found dead in her car from what appears to be a hit and run. The same person was at both scenes-our mystery man."

"Woman," corrects Lanie, then explains, "It's a female hair. Blonde, curly."

Kate nods, deep in thought, "Okay, well that helps us a little bit. Jealousy, maybe?"

"Maybe," Lanie mutters in agreement.

"Hey. What's doing?" they turn to see Castle; he wordlessly hands Kate her coffee. She mumbles her thanks, Lanie raises an eyebrow, Kate rolls her eyes, and then sighs.

"What I miss?" asks Castle, chuckling a little.

"Well," sighs Kate, "The same woman was at the scene of Darius McCoy's death, as well as Caroline Greene's."

"Hit and run?"

Kate nods, "The one and only."

"I'm rerunning the DNA, but so far, nothing," sighs Lanie, "Anyways. I'll see you later, Kate. Don't you forget."

Kate nods, huffing and rolling her eyes, "Bye, Lanie."

"Bye, Kate. Bye, Castle," she winks as she leaves and Castle laughs.

"Don't," Kate growls, patience already fried.

"Sorry," he says, genuine and sincere for once in his life, "Hey, Alexis was asking if you could come over tonight for dinner and a movie. What do you think?"

"I'll consider it," she agrees coolly, "Let's get some work done, okay? If Josh is on call, I'll swing by. But no guarantees, you know."

He nods, "Okay. Well, we should probably start again with Caroline's little sister, Eden, and maybe McCoy's ex-girlfriend, Lucy..."

"Good idea," Kate nods, "I'll take Eden with Ryan. You and Esposito take Lucy, okay?"

"Okay."

They've called in Eden Greene and Lucy Walker again; they shuffle the nervous women into the separate interrogation rooms. As planned, Esposito and Castle go to Interrogation One with Lucy, and Ryan and Beckett go to Interrogation Two with Eden. Castle sits across from Lucy and next to Esposito, and Lucy's brimming with excitement in his presence.

"I already told you," she huffs, rolling her eyes, "We broke up six months ago."

"Why?" asks Castle, earning Esposito's glare.

She shrugged, "Honestly? It was over moving in. I didn't want to move in with him."

Esposito nods, then asks, "So, Miss Walker..."

"Lucy, please," she interrupts.

"Lucy. Where were you on the night of November 7, between 9 and 11 PM?"

"At home. I was babysitting for my neighbor, Annette. She works the graveyard at McDonald's, so I watch her kid, Jo, for her," Lucy replies evenly.

"Okay," Esposito nods, "Now. Where were you between the hours of 5 and 6 AM November 8?"

"I was with Annette at her place. I'd just returned Jo, and we got talking. She's my age, you know? She gets me," Lucy shrugs, "Anyways, I left at around a quarter to seven. I don't need too much sleep."

"Do you know if Darius had any enemies? Maybe a jealous ex?"

"No," she shakes her head, "Sorry I can't help you out more."

Castle nods, "It's okay."

"Please don't leave Manhattan. We'll be in touch if you need anything," Esposito informs her.

"Okay. I know the drill. I dated the bastard for three and a half years, didn't I?"

* * *

In Interrogation Two, they were being stonewalled by Eden. Eden was beautiful, with platinum waves that reached her shoulders, doe-like moss eyes, and plump cherry red lips. She was truly lovely, Kate begrudgingly admitted; however, Eden seemed a tad self-centered and egotistical, and Kate decided early on to use that to her advantage. Thankfully, Ryan appeared to be on the same page as her.

"Eden," Kate says, "I know you must be a very busy person, but can you tell me where you were between 9 and 11 PM on November 7?"

"At a party for the magazine," Eden replies smirking haughtily, "Not that you'd care."

Kate rolls her eyes, ignoring her as she continues, "Alright. Where were you between 5 and 6 AM November 8?"

"At home, sleeping."

"Anyone verify that?"

"My boyfriend. Hank Tisdale," Eden tells her, "Can I go now? Please?"

"Did you know about Darius?"

"No. But Caroline didn't share much with me."

Kate nods slowly, "Okay. Did your sister have any enemies?"

Eden shrugs, "Nah. Not really, just the typical for a matrimonial lawyer."

"Any of her clients have anger issues?"

"Not really."

"Okay. Well, thank you very much for your time, Miss Greene. Please don't leave Manhattan. We'll be in touch," Kate finishes, standing at the same time that Detective Ryan does.

Outside, once Lucy and Eden are escorted out of the 12th Precinct, the little group assembles around the murder board, writing in alibis and discussing the two women. They bounce ideas off one another, and eventually come to the conclusion that neither is lying. They've confirmed the alibis, which are rock-solid, and have gotten absolutely nowhere.

It hits her then, like a ton of bricks, "Eden."

"What?" asks Castle, brow furrowed in confusion, "What about her?"

"She has blonde hair."

"So what? Half of Manhattan does," pipes in Ryan.

Kate rolls her eyes, "She was lying. You saw how into herself she was. She wouldn't cave easily."

"I have an idea," Esposito hesitates a little, "But..."

"But what?"

"But it involves Castle going undercover," Esposito quickly tells Beckett, then continues, "He could take Eden out for a 'date', wearing a wire, of course. Remember when we checked the sisters' apartment? Eden said she loved Richard Castle. If we give her what she wants..."

"...We get what we want," Kate nods slowly, "Okay. Sure. Karpowski can go plain-clothed, since Eden hasn't seen her yet."

"Sounds good," agrees Ryan easily.

"Castle? You in?" asks Beckett, smirking, eyebrows quirked slightly.

"Count me in," he grins, humming Mission Impossible.

Kate smirks and rolls her eyes, "Let's go, boys."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I might not be able to update for a while. Kind of cut school. :/ Just an FYI. :P**

**Disclaimer: Same as always. Damn.**

"You sure about this?" Kate asks for the millionth time as she attaches the wire to Castle's chest.

"Kate," he says softly, gently stilling her shaking hands, "I'm sure. It'll be okay."

She nods, swallows, then sighs and responds, "Right. Not like I can stop you."

She shoots him a weak smile and he reassuringly responds, "Kate, if I honestly thought I was in any real danger here I wouldn't do it. Besides, it's good research material. Karpowski will be there, and so will Detective Hanson. You'll be right around the block, too. I'll be fine, okay?"

She nods, "Okay. Sorry, I just don't think this is such a great idea, I mean she did kill two people..."

"Kate. It'll be fine."

"Right," she says, "I'm done."

She stands then, about to ask him again if he's okay with this, when Ryan comes over and announces, "We've got our stations. Castle, pry the information out of her. We know she's self-centered, so use that, okay? Maybe say you need a new muse. I don't know, really, just get her to cave. Legally, of course."

"Got it," he agrees, grinning, "I'm all set."

"Great," Ryan turns towards Kate, addresses her, "Beckett? You ready to go?"

She nods, swallowing again as she replies, "As I'll ever be."

Then they leave. The "date" is at a small diner nearby that knows what's going on. Two blocks away they park the police van. The plan was for Karpowski to be a customer and Hanson to be a waiter. When they have enough, Karpowski and Hanson will collar Eden, and then they'll book her. It seems like a good plan, but Kate is still extremely nervous about the whole thing.

Sitting in the back of the van, observing Castle, she tells him over again into his earpiece, "Remember, the word for extraction is 'pizza'."

"I know," he rolls his eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbles.

Ryan and Esposito chuckle, earning a warning glare from Beckett, who then turns back to the screen, where they've got visual of Castle from Hanson's camera-glasses, which had been, of course, Castle's idea, much to the amusement of Captain Montgomery. Beckett now leans in, looking as he enters the diner and Eden stands, grinning, to greet him.

"Bingo," she murmurs, "Let's go."

* * *

"Honestly, it's no real surprise you wanted to meet me," Eden grins sultrily, "I am pretty popular."

Castle grins, "Well, so am I."

"So I've heard."

He laughs, replies, "I haven't got anyone."

"Really? I thought you and Detective Beckett...?"

"No," he shakes his head, "I'm single."

"That's good."

"Yep," he nods, "The real reason I asked you here Eden is because I'm writing a new book."

"Oh? A follow-up to Naked Heat?"

"No," he shakes his head, "Honestly, that well's run dry. I was just thinking... maybe you'd like to help me out?"

"Sure," she grins cockily, "I'll be your new muse."

"Great!"

"So. I have some questions for you..."

"Shoot," she says.

"Okay. Well, what's your favorite childhood memory?"

"When Caroline fell into a puddle of mud," she grinned, "I was six. She was nine."

"Favorite color?" he asks.

"Silver."

"What's your favorite car?" he glances up briefly.

"Mercedes. Duh."

"What would you do if you found someone close to you-say, your best friend-with your boyfriend?"

Her face falls, then she quickly composes herself and replies, "Depends."

"How so?"

"If I loved him," she shrugs, "Which, by the way, I did, and Caroline was far from being my best friend. Hell, she wasn't even a close second."

"So then what?"

"I'd give them both what they deserved."

"Which is...?" he prompts casually.

She grins dangerously, "A knife to the heart, like the one he used on me. And for her? Well, I'd just kill her slowly. It was an accident, actually."

"Hmmm?"

"I wanted to talk. So Caroline was driving me back to her place, and that other car came along and rammed into us," she shrugs, "Not that I'm complaining, really."

"I bet you aren't."

"We got her," Beckett announces quickly, then tells Castle, "Karpowski's on Eden now."

He nods, barely, briefly, and out of the corner of his eye, watches as Karpowski slowly stalks over to Eden, who is obliviously lost in her own world. Wordlessly, Karpowski taps Eden's shoulder, waving her cuffs at her tauntingly. Eyes narrowed and scowling, Eden stands and Karpowski slaps the cuffs on her wrists.

"You worthless bastard!" she snarls, spitting at Castle's feet at she leaves.

"See you!" he calls out cheerfully.

Beckett is in there soon, quickly asking if he's okay, much to his amusement. They ride back to the station. Hanson and Karpowski book Eden while Kate removes Castle's wires and Ryan and Esposito interrogate Hank Tisdale, recheck Eden's alibi.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she admits, echoing those words that started it all almost a month ago.

"I know."

* * *

As they had been too busy going over the plans for Castle's mission undercover last night, tonight Kate goes over to his apartment after work. Josh is on call and it's either spending time with the Castle family or spending a quiet evening alone. Lord knows she's had enough of those to last her a lifetime.

"Kate!" Alexis greets her, grinning happily, "Dad's just making dinner. It'll be done soon."

She nods, "Okay."

Alexis hangs up Kate's jacket; Kate puts down her purse, goes to the couch and sits. Alexis soon joins her, and the two talk amiably. So much so that when Castle comes in ten minutes later to announce that dinner's ready he's almost sorry to break up their bonding moment. But they go and sit down anyways to eat.

"Where's Martha?"

"Rehearsal," Castle replies, "She's gonna pull an all-nighter."

"Should I ask?"

"No," Castle and Alexis reply quickly at the same time, making Kate laugh and roll her eyes at them.

"After rehearsal, which ends tonight at ten, she usually finds a guy to go home with or crashes at a friend's," explains Castle, "Either way, you don't want to know."

Kate nods, "Sounds fair. This is really good."

They were eating curry udon noodles and talking. It was so familial that it seemed foreign and made Kate want to cry, both with joy and longing for the family she'd lost. Speaking of which, Kate quickly made a mental note to call her dad on Friday, see if maybe he wanted to get lunch or something that weekend. Lord knows they didn't spend enough time together.

The rift that Johanna's death had made was far too vast, too painful, to bear to cross. They were lost without her, essentially, and they would never be the same again. Nevermind that it was Kate's birthday dinner they'd been going to.

Even still, she knows dwelling on the past won't bring her mother back.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Kind of a family crisis going on here. :/ But I'll still update when I can. :P**

**Disclaimer: …**

Kate finds herself that Friday calling her dad to see if he'll meet her for lunch on Sunday. He agrees, a little surprised, but Kate knows that's to be expected. After all, last time she'd called him was when they'd gotten the case with Dick Coonan. She hated thinking of that bastard, so she stopped as soon as she'd started.

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose gently. It's November 12, the day after Veterans' Day, which means a lot of bodies, unfortunately. Kate's at her desk, absently scanning files, looking for something interesting to do. Josh's called six times in the past hour or so but Kate just can't bring herself to answer him, to lie to him, to meet him for lunch. She'd never known pretending was so hard, but it was. Just acting normal, like everything was okay, and in a way it was; it'd been four weeks since she'd slept with Castle, so by now it was a fond memory, nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

Even still, she found her gaze lingering on him too long for her liking, and it wasn't helping matters that things with Josh were moving faster and faster. Kate felt like she was standing still in the middle of the highway, cars rushing by at a dizzying speed, except this was her life, not hunks of metal.

It'll never stop.

* * *

It's surprisingly warm for November that night, so she showers, but it's not nearly enough. She lies in her underwear on the bed, iPod in her ears, trying to sleep. Josh's on call for the third night in a row, and she's all alone, just her thoughts and her music. Her hands rest folded on her stomach, and she sighs, happily humming along, voice soft.

Her eyes closed, breathing steady, Kate allows her mind to wander to him. It's been almost a month, and yet she still thinks about it as often as if it were only yesterday. It's only in the dark that she allows herself to entertain these thoughts. Only alone, safe inside herself.

Music plays in her ears, something soft and lovely from the nineties she'd never admit she cared for. Sarah McLachlan, she thinks, something she remembers coming home to in her mid-teens. Her mother used to play it as she cooked, humming along softly. Sometimes she'd ask Kate to dance. To this day Kate remembers her mother's smile and the way she'd danced with her. It was hopeful, cheerful, and Kate had loved it then.

Now she sighs, happy, relatively so. Lanie is going to pick Kate up for breakfast and life's pretty damn good. Until, of course, her cell phone starts ringing. Groaning, Kate answers with a snappish, "Beckett."

It was, of course, a murder. Would they ever stop? This was going through Kate's head as she hurriedly dressed and texted Castle (at this time of night she was too scared to call him) and then went out to the car. He texted back and she smirked, going to pick him up. He was waiting outside his loft and got into the passenger seat next to her.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she nods, "Murder downtown. Looks particularly gruesome."

He chuckles, "Okay, then, let's go."

They arrive soon after and Castle dutifully follows Kate to the victim. She wrinkles her nose and wills away the nausea the scene is causing for her.

"You alright?" he asks, and she nods slowly, opening her eyes to find she's been standing still.

"Fine," she swallows back bile.

"You're pale," he observes quietly, but instead of pressing the issue he gently guides her to the body.

"Is she okay?" Lanie asks, concerned as Kate swallows and gets paler.

"I'm _fine_," Kate snaps, crouching beside the body.

It's a mistake; the movement is too much, and Kate claps a hand over her mouth and stands, barely making it to a nearby bush before vomiting. When her stomach is emptied and she's still dry heaving she becomes aware of hands holding her hair back. She shoves at him weakly, but she's emotionally and physically drained from this. When the heaving passes he says nothing, and Kate, too embarrassed to speak, wordlessly leads him back to the car. They sit in the idling car for a few minutes until Kate finally says something.

"Thank you," she murmurs.

"It's fine," he shrugs it off, "You okay?"

She nods, "I will be. Ugh. I don't want to go back. This hasn't happened since I was a rookie, and even then, that was three times. My first autopsy, first crime scene, and then once when I got a really bad concussion from the barrel of a gun to my temple."

He places a hand on her leg and says, "Everyone gets sick. You're human, Kate. They'll understand."

"Thanks," she sighs, "God, I feel awful. Do I really have to go back there?"

He shakes his head, "Not unless you want to."

"I don't," she states firmly, resting her head on his shoulder and yawning.

"Want to go home?"

"Not really," she replies.

"You can come by my loft, if you'd like," then he quickly adds, "Alexis and Martha will be there so you don't have to worry about any funny business or anything. Besides, I can sleep in my study and you really could use some rest, Kate. Just think about it, okay?"

She nodded, too tired to care all of a sudden, "Fine."

When she felt a little better she began the drive back to Castle's place. They wordlessly went to the loft, and he gave her a toothbrush and some things to use that were Alexis' and that she said Kate could use. Kate gratefully took a shower, brushed her teeth, and changed into a pair of Alexis' sweatpants that fit her (barely) and one of Castle's undershirts. Then she fell onto his bed, too exhausted to give a damn.

He went to check on her, not really caring that she'd probably kill him if he did, and found her sound asleep on his bed. He smiled a little, and, unable to resist, went into the room and gently moved her under the covers. He leaned down, kissed her temple, turned off the light, and left. He'd try to write a little, and then he'd sleep in the study or on his couch.

"Dad?" Alexis asked as he came downstairs, "You do realize that she'll kill you if she finds out you watched her sleep?"

He smiled, "Don't you have homework?"

Alexis rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I'll finish it and go to sleep."

He squeezed her arm as he passed her to his study, where Rick took out his laptop and began trying to finish a chapter of the latest book he'd been writing, _Covert Heat_, which, with permission, of course from Kate, would include a new character based on Agent Jordan Shaw, though it'd be different than what he'd jokingly suggested about _Federal Heat_. In this one Castle had decided to make a love triangle between Nikki, Jameson, and Jordan's character, Heather, when they went head-to-head during a serial killing case. And of course, true to the actual events, Heather would ultimately save Nikki.

He sighed and began writing; Gina was annoying the hell out of him lately, and not just professionally. He'd broken things off the day after he'd slept with Kate, and now Gina was bent on making his life miserable. Rick figured that the quicker he finished _Covert Heat_, the better it would be for the both of them. Personally and professionally, of course.

_Agent Heather Quinn was not exceptional in any way, and yet Jameson found his gaze lingering perhaps a tad too long on her. Nikki, detective extraordinaire that she was, picked up on this and couldn't stop the twinge of jealousy, nor the annoyance with Jameson. Their relationship was rocky at best, and this latest turn of events wouldn't help much. Even still, she had to grudgingly admit that Heather was beautiful and smart..._

Rick was halfway through the third chapter, when Heather was introduced, and now he was officially stuck. He'd promised Kate that this story wouldn't make her hurt or embarrassed in any way, so there was nothing really left to write. In the past he would've written what he wanted and not given a shit, but he cared too much about Kate to do that to her. So he'd stick to the facts, to Nikki's case (which wasn't at all like the one Jordan had assisted on, though Kate had approved the idea), and he'd dream on.

He continued writing well into the morning.

* * *

Kate wakes up disoriented and groggy and gradually it comes back to her. Groaning, she scrubs a hand over her face and rolls on her side to look at the clock. It read just after ten. Great. Just fucking perfect. She becomes aware of the smell of food and her stomach growls. She's starving, she really is. She gets up slowly, vertigo washing over her, and hisses under her breath. When she can stand without feeling ready to vomit, Kate goes to the bathroom. Once she's used the toilet she splashes cold water on her face and pads downstairs to the kitchen, too hungry to care that he's going to see her in PJ's for the third time now. He's seen her naked, so why the hell not?

"Morning, Kate," greets Martha, "Richard's asleep in his office. He fell asleep writing again."

"Thanks," she yawned, "God, I'm hungry."

"He says you weren't feeling well and didn't feel like going home," Martha eyes her warily, "Anyhow, that's all I know, so don't worry. If it's important, I'm sure one of you will tell me eventually."

She nods, "Thanks for not prying."

Martha laughs, "None of my business anyhow."

"Morning mother. Morning, Kate," Rick said, choosing that moment to come in, "What'd you make?"

"Pancakes, eggs, and bacon," Martha announced, "Kate gave me the recipe."

Kate smirked, rolling her eyes, "I'm really hungry right now."

"Here," Martha says, sliding a plate of food in front of Kate, "Eat."

Kate quickly wolfs down the food, suddenly starving. When she's done, she cleans her dishes and asks Castle if he'll drop her by her apartment. He agrees, and they leave. He waits outside of her place for her.

Kate goes upstairs, showers, and dresses for the day. Grabbing what she'll need, Kate leaves the apartment and gets back into the car. They stop for coffee at a little cafe nearby, and then Castle drops Kate at the morgue, per her request, before driving off to the precinct. Kate goes into the morgue to ask Lanie about their victim last night. Just the thought makes her feel sick again so she worries, of course, about going in.

"Hey," Lanie raises an eyebrow, "You feeling better? 'Cause if you aren't I'm not letting you in, sweetie."

"I'm fine, Lanie," Kate assures her with a roll of her eye, "So, victim. Who was he?"

"Tobias Frank," Lanie relents, "Age thirty. COD is being strangled with some sort of leather object. I'm thinking an S&M whip."

Kate groaned, "Dammit. Not again. Castle's gonna have a field day with this..."

Lanie smirks, "Afraid you'll like it, sweetie?"

"Not a chance," Kate snorts.

"Anyways, how are you really feeling, Kate?"

Kate sighs, "Sleepy and sick. But not enough to worry. Look, Lanie, if I'm still feeling like day-old shit by my birthday, I'll go to the doctor, okay?"

Lanie nods, "Fine. But only because I know you won't listen to me if I argue."

Kate smirks wearily, "So. About Tobias Frank..."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am bored as hell. Snow days sound fun on paper but I'd rather take the 3 tests and do the essay and lab I owe than be at home. :/ So you get fanfiction. Go nuts.**

**Disclaimer: Honestly, do I have to say it at this point? D:**

It was at lunch three days later, the day before Kate's birthday, when Lanie wordlessly passed her a plastic bag. They were eating Chinese at a little hole-in-the-wall Kate had accidentally discovered, three blocks from the morgue and a block from the precinct. It had eventually become the usual meeting place for Lanie and Kate.

"Lanie," she frowned, eyebrows raised, "You cannot be serious."

"Kate," she says, perfectly serious, "Humor me for once in your life. Please. It's not like I went and took a vial of your blood while you were asleep."

Kate shuddered, "Lanie. I. Am. Not. Pregnant."

"Kate. You haven't thrown up at a crime scene since you were twenty-five and fresh out of the academy. You've been sleeping a lot and yawning. All you can hold down is Oreos, lo mein, and bacon. Every time you even see a photo of a dead body you get queasy," Lanie tells her.

"Doesn't make me pregnant," Kate replied, fear and panic creeping into her voice, "There's no way in hell, Lanie."

"Unless you've suddenly joined a convent, there is a high chance that you are pregnant," Lanie says casually, like it's the weather they're talking about and not a child.

"But, I'm on the pill-"

"99.9% effective," Lanie informs, and Kate snorts and rolls her eyes.

"That's a .1% chance, Lanie. Besides, I've used a condom every time, too..."

Her eyes widened and Lanie asked, "Kate? What is it?"

"Shit," Kate mumbled, "_Shit_."

"Kate?"

"Lanie," her voice is urgent, "I think I need you to do a blood test."

"Now?"

"Now," Kate agrees, "Please, it's important."

Lanie nods, "Okay. We'll pay and go to the morgue."

They finished hurriedly and Lanie paid; Kate was too preoccupied counting backwards in her head, over and over, to do much. Lanie gently guided her friend outside; they walked the three short blocks to the morgue, having decided that it would be good for Kate to get some fresh air. In the morgue, Lanie sits Kate down, sterilizes the crease of her elbow, and inserts the needle. Kate's eyes close.

"It's done," Lanie tells her quietly, and Kate nods, "I can get you the preliminaries in about an hour or so, but it'll take me three or four to know for certain."

"I'll take the tests," Kate mumbles for lack of anything better to do, "Will you be able to guess how far along I am?"

Lanie nods, "Yeah."

Kate sighs, "Good."

"You should see your doctor," Lanie says softly, "Call her."

Kate nodded, going to the hall to call her OB/GYN, Doctor Heather Tate. The appointment is set for five that afternoon, the last one of the day, and Kate has decided to make Lanie come with her, since it had been her idea that she was pregnant in the first place. Besides, she really could use the moral support, and she needed to know how far along she was before she could tell anyone else. Thankfully, Kate knew Lanie could be trusted with this secret.

Kate took the two tests Lanie had bought her (both positive, of _course_), paced around the morgue, and eventually was given a package of Oreos and a chair by Lanie with a stern look and a warning that Kate should stop moving around so much.

"God, Lanie. I'm pregnant, not a friggin' bomb," Kate huffed; she'd given up denying about twenty minutes into waiting.

"This is for your sanity, Kate," Lanie smirked, "What are you gonna do for your birthday?"

Kate sighed, having not even begun to think about her birthday, "I don't know, honestly."

"When's the appointment?"

"Five. You're coming with me, and I'll kidnap you at gunpoint if I have to, Lanie," warned Kate.

Lanie chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Wow. You've only known you're pregnant for an hour and you're already cranky. Jesus, remind me never to piss you off again."

Twelve-and-a-half minutes later found Lanie holding the preliminary results of Kate's blood test. Kate was anxiously pacing again; Lanie had figured out that Kate couldn't be held down for too long.

"Well?" asked Kate, nervous as hell.

"You're pregnant," Lanie announced, grinning.

"How far am I?"

"Um... well, it looks like almost five weeks..."

"Give or take how many days?"

"Two," Lanie replied, "Why? What is it, Kate?"

But Kate was already gone.

* * *

He was coming in after lunch with coffee when Kate brushed past him, a hand clapped over her mouth, the door to the women's restroom banging shut behind her. He raised an eyebrow, went and set down their coffee before cautiously going into the bathroom. Castle heard rather than saw her; he found her hunched over a toilet bowl, sweat coating her entire body (at least what he could see), retching what looked like non-digested Oreos into the toilet. He crouched beside her and held her curly auburn hair off her face. She shoved at him with one hand, but was too preoccupied vomiting her guts out to really do much about his presence.

Eventually, Kate's breathing evened out, the dry heaves stopped, and she sat back into his chest, moaning weakly. He gripped the sides of her arms and said nothing; he sensed she wouldn't tell him anything unless he gave her time. He slowly stood and left the stall; it was obvious by her stiff posture that Kate really needed a moment or two alone to catch her breath. Kate followed out and smiled tiredly at him in thanks before going to the sink and splashing cold water on her face. She grabbed the sides of the sink tightly, eyes closed, willing away the latest bout of nausea. It passed, eventually, and Kate finally addressed him.

"Thanks," she sighed, swallowing.

"Here," he said, handing her a water bottle in reply. Kate gratefully took it, using it to wash out her mouth, which still tasted like vomit.

"Castle?" her voice was exhausted and quiet.

"Yes?"

She chickened out and instead asked, "Um. Never mind. Just... thanks."

He nodded, "You're welcome."

He could tell that she had more to say, but he didn't push the issue; he left, and three minutes later Kate came out, too. She frowned at the coffee, wondering if the caffeine would make her baby a mutant. Oh well, she'd been drinking the stuff for almost five weeks now, so one more surely wouldn't hurt them.

She passed the afternoon with paperwork, five o'clock coming far too fast. Lanie picked her up outside the precinct and the two women made their way to the office. Kate was called in, and once the nurse had checked her out, she stripped and threw on the paper hospital gown she'd received. The doctor came and went.

At five to six, Doctor Tate returned with a smile, "Congratulations. You're pregnant. Here's a prescription for vitamins; don't drink alcohol or caffeine."

"How far am I?"

"Five weeks, give or take two days," the doctor replied cheerfully, which got a sigh from Kate, "I'd like to see you again in about four weeks. Preferably before Christmas."

Kate nodded. She redressed once the doctor had left, and on the way out made another appointment for Tuesday, December 21, at three o'clock in the afternoon. Lanie drove Kate to the precinct; finding out Castle had left shortly after she had, Kate quickly packed up and got into the car. The drive to his loft was tense.

Alexis answered the door, and with a nervous smile Kate asked, "Uh, hi. Is your dad here?"

Alexis nodded, "Yeah. Dinner's in ten minutes."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can come back..."

"No," Alexis quickly shakes her head, "No, it's fine. Stay and have dinner if you'd like to. Dad's in the kitchen cooking."

"Thanks," Kate nodded, smiling gratefully.

"No problem," Alexis replied with a grin and she allowed Kate to enter the loft.

"Dad? Detective Beckett's here!" Alexis hollered.

"Kate," Kate corrected gently.

"Oh, hey, Beckett," Castle looked amused and surprised to see her, "What did you need?"

"Um," she bit her lower lip, "Can we talk? In your study?"

He nodded, "Sure. Come on. Alexis?"

"Yeah, I'll finish the food," Alexis rolled her eyes, "Remember, dinner's in ten minutes."

Kate blushed furiously and followed Castle into his office. She paced nervously while he sat in the chair behind his desk, seeming almost to sense her nervousness. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Kate? What is it?"

She stopped abruptly and ran a hand through her hair, "Um. There's really no good way to say this..."

"Kate?" he was gentle, "It's okay."

She nodded, "Thanks. Um. Well, I, ah..."

His eyes widened in shock and realization, looking at her. She was pacing again, chewing on her lip, hands alternating between being wrung behind her back and combing through her curly hair. Her hazel eyes were looking at the ground, not at him. Then suddenly the past few days spiraled in his mind, and he couldn't help it, nor stop it. The last time he'd someone this way was...

"Oh my God," he said, "You're pregnant. Aren't you?"

She stopped suddenly and looked him in the eye, nodding slowly, "Yeah."

His mind reeling he asked the most important thing, "Is it...?"

"Yours?" she finished, and when he nodded she replied with a nervous sigh and a small, gentle, timid smile, "Yeah, Castle it is."

"Who else knows?"

"Lanie. You. Me. My doctor," she shrugged, "That's it."

"Josh...?"

"It's your kid," she shakes her head, "I'm about five weeks along, give or take two days. I couldn't sleep with him for ten after... you know. Anyways, I'll tell him soon."

"Wow," he breathed, "Um..."

"I'm going to leave," Kate said softly, "Josh's not on call tonight, and I figured the sooner I told him the better..."

He nodded, grateful that she was giving him time, "I want to be a father."

"I know," she smiled, "I'd never keep this kid away from you. Look at how Alexis turned out."

"Kate?"

"Yeah?" she turned in the doorway.

"Thank you."

She nodded, biting her lip and mumbling, "No problem." Then she left almost as abruptly as she'd came, leaving Castle's head spinning dizzyingly fast. Katherine Beckett was pregnant. With his child.

_Oh. My. God!_


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I honestly write with an end, a beginning, and a few ideas knocked around. :/ It's like bridge building. :P I'm not good at planning. Sorry. D: To be honest, I knew where I wanted this story to be eventually, to the reviewer who wasn't happy with it. I'm sorry to have disappointed you. By the way, the idea for this new case came from a skit we did in theater. (; We have this game, 'Death by...' and then a random word. :P Thank you, Opal and Kim! ^^**

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah.**

When she got to the apartment she heard rather than saw Josh, and her heart sank with guilt, especially as he said, "Hey babe. I'm in the kitchen; decided to make you some breakfast for dinner. Your favorite."

"Josh," she begins with a slow, calming breath that just makes her more nervous, "We need to talk."

He came in then, frowning, "Baby? What is it?"

Oh, God. Why'd he have to call her that? She sank into the couch and buried her face in her hands. He reached out instinctively and touched her back. Kate flinched and he withdrew his hand quickly, eyeing her curiously. He knelt before her and gently removed the hands covering her eyes, only to find tears in them. She wiped them away quickly and stood, pacing around the living room, wringing her hands with anxiety, occasionally running a hand through her curly hair.

Finally she mustered up the courage and strength to tell him, while not looking at him, of course, "Josh, I'm pregnant."

A beat, and then, "It's not mine, is it?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, knowing she was hurting him, "I'm so sorry. I... I don't know. It was a mistake, but..."

"Kate," he said softly, walking over to her, "We can move past this..."

"No!" she cried vehemently, shaking her head before continuing, calm and rational, "I'm sorry. I just don't think that we... that this, whatever the hell it is, can work. I'm sorry."

Then he asked something she'd never expected, "Are you happy, Kate?"

"Huh?"

"Does he make you happy?"

She nodded, "I hate to admit it but it's true."

He smiled sadly, "Then that's good enough for me, Kate. You're welcome here as long as you need, okay?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," her voice is small, "Josh..."

"Okay," he replied quietly, "Just stay until you find a place, or if he agrees to let you move in. I don't want you in a hotel."

She nodded, "Fine. Will you help me when I do need to move?"

"Sure," he said, kissing her forehead, "It's damn shame."

"I'm sorry," she murmured as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"I'm really happy for you, Kate. If he ever hurts you I'll kill him."

She smiles a little at that and sighs happily, "I know. Thanks."

He nods, "No problem."

He kisses the top of her head and pulls away, grinning as he says, "Well, the breakfast for dinner is still up for grabs."

She smiled gratefully and nodded, "I'd really like that."

* * *

After dinner, Kate packs a bag and calls to have the rest of her stuff moved out to storage. Then she apologizes profusely once more and goes back to Castle's place. She knows he won't mind too much, if at all; she hates imposing on him but it's the only place she can really go right now. She doesn't feel like staying at the precinct again. In fact, the last time she stayed there was before she'd known about the baby. It felt like an eternity ago, and yet... and yet it wasn't.

He answered the door, both surprised and unsurprised to see her; his first question was, "Josh kick you out?"

She shook her head, entering the loft, "Nah. Actually, he was really sweet about it. Tomorrow we're moving the rest of my stuff out to storage. Mind if I crash here for a bit? Just until I get an apartment, of course."

He nodded, "Sure, Kate. However long you need."

He leads the way to his bedroom and helps her unpack her duffel bag; after, she goes to shower and change for the night and he goes to his study to finish writing.

She is woken up around 5 by the shrill ringing of her phone. Groaning, Kate fumbles for it in the dark of his room, wondering where the hell he is. She answers with a groggy, "Beckett?"

Sitting up, she recites the address given under her breath and tells the dispatcher, "I'll be right there."

Then she swings her legs over the bed, closing her eyes briefly to quell the nausea from the sudden movements. She uses the bathroom, splashing water on her face afterwards, and changes into a button down and slacks. Pulling her hair back, Kate pads into the study, where she finds him asleep at his desk. She allows a small, brief smile at him before she goes up to him to wake him. She taps him shoulder gently and he startles.

"What time is it?" he asks and she smirks.

"Around 5," she replies.

He groans, "Murder?"

She nods, "Yep."

He gets up, squeezing her shoulder gently as he passes her. He uses the bathroom and dresses, meeting her in the kitchen. She's nibbling on a muffin she found, and wordlessly offers what's left of it. He nods his thanks, finishes it. Then they leave for the crime scene; she's driving, of course.

It's a tiny little place where they end up, a church, in fact. Lanie's hovering over the body when Kate reaches her and asks, "What do we got, Lanie?"

"Female, 30s. No ID on or near the body, but Ryan and Esposito are canvassing the area now. No witnesses; church janitor found her. Time of death somewhere between 2-4 in the morning. I think the cause of death is asphyxiation, but you'll have to wait till I get back to my morgue before I can know for sure," Lanie informed her, "It's a weird one. _Very _weird."

Kate looks at the body and sees what Lanie means. The woman, with golden curls framing a pearly heart-shaped face, has what appears to be some sort of filmy white fabric coming out of her mouth. That's when she realizes what it is: a wedding veil. The woman was choked to death on a wedding veil.

"Jesus, Lanie," Kate shakes her head, biting her lip so she won't _laugh_ at the absurdity of it, "Alright. I'll see what Ryan and Esposito have got."

Lanie nodded, "Have fun, girl. Be careful out there."

Kate nodded, rolling her eyes, "I will, I will. Sheesh, Lanie."

Lanie smirked, "Go. Investigate."

"Will do. Thanks, Lanie."

"You're welcome. Bye, girl," Lanie hollers after her.

She finds Ryan questioning the janitor; he comes to her and says, "Esposito's still looking for an ID. Mr. Burns here was telling me what he knew. He doesn't know too much, but he says that we should talk to a Reverend Carl Manson. Mr. Burns says he's generally in by 6:30. We'll catch him then."

Kate nodded, "Alright. Good work. When he comes in, ask him what he knows, okay?"

"On it," Ryan agrees easily.

"Yo, Kate!" Kate turns to see a slightly sweaty Esposito rushing towards her, "Think I just found an ID for our victim: Charlotte Harrison, twenty-nine. Found it next to a dumpster two blocks away."

"Thanks, Esposito."

"Welcome. I'll try to figure out who was in her life at the time," he told her, "Check her financials, too. See who wanted our girl dead."

Kate nodded, "Great. Thank you."

"Yup," he smiled, "Where's your shadow?"

She jerked her thumb towards the body, "Trying to figure out how the hell someone could choke on a wedding veil."

"Ah. Good for a book, right?"

Kate shrugged, "He seems to think so. Although it's an odd way to die, that's for sure. Perhaps a romantic rival."

"Or a coverup."

"Damn. You've been spending way too much time with Castle," Kate chuckled.

"I try," Esposito smirked, "Anyway, I'm heading back to the precinct now."

"Alright. Meet you there," Kate told him, "I think I'll stay here for a bit more."

Esposito nodded his understanding and approval, "Alright. See you later."

"See you," Kate said, heading over to find her shadow.

Sensing her behind him he says, "Do you see these marks?"

"What marks?"

He points to a set of marks on the inside of her elbow and replies, "These. They look like cigarette burn, don't they?"

She shrugs, says, "Maybe. I don't know."

"But it looks like whoever did this... cared about her."

"Cared? Then why the hell would they burn her with a cigarette?"

"I mean, look at the location of the marks," he explains, standing and turning to face her, "In the crook of her elbow."

"So?"

"So, nobody will notice unless they were looking for them," he told her calmly, "If they didn't care, they would've put them anywhere at all."

"Or they could've wanted them in an inconspicuous place so that _they_ didn't get caught," she rolled her eyes, "Either way, we don't know they're cigarette burns until Lanie tells us so."

"Alright," he replied, grinning cheekily, "How about we get back to the twelfth?"

Smiling a little she replies, "Sure."

Then, they leave.


End file.
